The invention relates to luminescent nanomaterials. More particularly, the invention relates to luminescent nanomaterials comprising a plurality of nanoparticles.
Luminescent materials, also known as phosphors, are used in lighting applications. Phosphors are responsible for nearly all the light output from the lamp. The efficiency of the phosphors to convert incident non-visible radiation into visible light depends on the size, shape, and morphology of the phosphor particles. Consequently, efforts have been directed toward producing luminescent materials with controlled properties.
Currently, such luminescent materials comprise particles in the micron size regime. Since their dimension is more than, or of the same order of magnitude as ¼ wavelength of the absorbed incident radiation, emitted radiation, or both, the particles act as individual scattering centers for such radiation, thereby reducing the efficiency of the phosphor due to optical losses.
Various synthesis routes, such as sol-gel, colloidal, precipitation, combustion synthesis, and solid state methods have been adopted to produce powders of luminescent materials. To date, however, none of the methods have yielded luminescent materials having selected morphologies that provide optimal efficiency and absorption.
Available synthesis methods fail to provide a method of making sub-micron size luminescent materials having tailored morphology that provides optimal efficiency and absorption. Therefore, what is needed is a luminescent material having a particle size and predetermined or ‘engineered’ morphology that will optimize both the efficiency and absoprtion of the material. What is also needed is a method of making such a luminescent material, wherein the method provides a means of controlling the morphology of the material.